Letter: SLO County Democrats denounce anti-LGBTQ threats to local drag shows
To the editor,
Threats against our entire community cannot go unanswered
– The Democratic Party of San Luis Obispo County has issued a “red-flag warning” to county residents about threats made against local businesses by a person promising to summon an armed and sometimes-violent group called “Gays Against Groomers” to stop local drag shows.
As we watch the national news of heavily armed MAGA militants invading drag performances to shut them down, our first reaction might be to say it can’t happen here in San Luis Obispo.
But it could, especially after Highwater, a downtown SLO restaurant, was harassed by an as-yet-unnamed man trying to prevent the business from hosting drag performances, invoking the threat of bringing outside militants to the city’s streets.
We’ve recently seen domestic terrorists attack the electrical infrastructure in North Carolina for the same purpose and of course the horrific anti-gay murder spree at Club Q in Colorado Springs.
The same thing is happening right here in California, and in SLO County. As reported in the SLO New Times, SFGate, and other news outlets, credible threats of violence have now been leveled at several local businesses because they scheduled drag events and performances.
This summer the Proud Boys terrorized a drag event at a public library in Northern California, and just this week California State Senator Scott Weiner received multiple death threats as a result of his activism in support of the queer community.
Now a right-wing reactionary wants to bring all that to SLO to terrorize the queer community and their supporters here. At least three business owners in SLO have been threatened by this local individual to intimidate these businesses and threaten the performers.
Gays Against Groomers is a national organization founded in Florida that is identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League.
It is linked to militia groups like the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer, and Band of Brothers and has been banned by Google, Venmo, and Paypal for spreading hate online. It specializes in opposition to LGBTQ rights and uses demonizing rhetoric to portray LGBTQ people as threats to children, society, and public health.
Let’s be clear, this is not just a threat to one community or one business owner. It is a life-threatening attack on the safety and security of everyone who lives in SLO County.
The SLO County Democratic Party is concerned about the possibility of national hate groups descending on our community.
We know who these groups are. We know what this guy in SLO is really threatening to bring here: armed, right-wing militias who use threats of violence to sow fear and division in a community so they can resist change and cling to power. Now once again they are threatening our freedoms.
Price said SLO County residents need to take this threat seriously.
We are outraged that someone would invite a violent organization like Gays Against Groomers here into San Luis Obispo County! Who does he think he is?
We know who the real groomers are. They are the people who teach their children to hate anyone who’s different, and that violence is the way to solve their disagreements. They’re grooming their children to be bullies and insurrectionists.
The SLOCDP stands strongly in support of our local LGBTQ community and our local businesses. These threats of violence must be exposed, and those making the threats must face consequences.
Barry Price
Spokesperson for the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party
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